Sportful R&D Cima jersey

The new Sportful R&D Cima jersey offers excellent hot weather performance with a very figure-hugging, race-ready fit that makes it ideal for summer cycling and racing.

Sportful works closely with the pro teams it sponsors and learns valuable lessons from the demanding world of racing. The R&D Cima jersey is the latest product to come out of the Italian company's research and development programme, a pro-tested jersey designed for hot weather and high mountains.

The jersey is constructed from a stretch woven fabric with a honeycomb texture that's designed to improve the breathability. The fabric is super-thin but fortunately, unlike some lightweight jerseys, it's not at all see-through so your modesty is preserved.

Reduced panels and seams contribute to the low bulk and weight. There are just six seams in the entire jersey, with two each in the shoulder and arm areas. One piece of material covers the back, arms and neck area. The small size jersey tested weighs just 97g, making it one of the lightest jerseys tested on road.cc.

Features have been trimmed back to keep the weight low, but you still get three good sized pockets out back and the jersey stays in place even when you load them up. The Sportful logos are reflective and there are some additional reflective details on the pockets.

The arms have a raw cut opening with a thin band of silicone tape on the inside face. Comparing it with other Sportful jerseys I've tested, I found the sleeve openings a little on the tight side, with the silicone tape proving more restrictive than the stretchy material it is applied to. Given the tightness of the jersey, I'm not sure the silicone tape is really needed and I'd be seriously tempted to trim them off.

There's no silicone tape on the waistband, instead just a small strip on the middle, but the elasticated hem does a fine job of keeping the jersey from moving about. With such a figure-hugging fit, the jersey isn't budging anyway, even during the most animated riding.

The neck has been cut very low, so much that you need to choose your baselayer carefully. The idea behind it is to improve air flow around the neck; less material on the neck, basically, to aid the cooling in the heat. It certainly provides a noticeable difference on long climbs.

The fit, as you'd expect of a pro-tested jersey, is figure-hugging. Oh my, is it a close fit. While it feels a bit restrictive standing tall for these photos, once on the saddle with your body bent over to reach the handlebar, all is good and comfortable. That close fit ensures the jersey fabric lies flat against your skin, not only providing good aerodynamics (though Sportful doesn't big up its aero performance) but also meaning the fabric can work to pull sweat away from the body.

And that's a task it does extremely well. Worn on really hot rides and hammering up plenty of sweat-inducing climbs, the jersey remained remarkably dry – drier than most regular jerseys I've worn in similar demanding conditions.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best jerseys for hot weather cycling

Even though the new R&D Cima is packed full of the latest tech and benefits from professional race testing, and is Sportful's most expensive jersey, the price is a lot less than you could expect to pay for this level of premium performance. The Assos SS.equipeJersey_Evo8 is another £25, and Rapha's Pro Team Flyweight Jersey is £35 more; the Cima is lighter than both, and offers top-level performance for hot weather riding.

Verdict

Wonderful hot weather performance; it doesn't come cheap but it's still great value